Friday film festival to be held for the first time

Vallejo Community Access Television (VCAT) will host the first annual Ursula Awards at 6:00 pm tomorrow, September 21.

This film festival will feature shorts, public service announcements, documentaries, animations, and feature films. It will be an annual showcase for community access television producers and independent filmmakers locally and around the world, combining the best of film-making with the opportunity for local producers to showcase their local productions.

Two of the categories, Student Filmmaking Showcase and Best of VCAT, are designed specifically to promote local filmmakers and producers.

The festival is named after volunteer Ursula Morgan-Kane, who helped to establish VCAT. Her help behind the scenes more than five years ago was vital to getting VCAT up and running.

Film entries will be judged by a panel of critics, filmmakers, community access producers, and scholars. Entries have been submitted by both professionals and non-professionals and all films were made within the past five years. While some of the films may have had a limited theatrical release, no films made by major picture studios are eligible for the awards.

Tickets are available online and are $25 for students aged 21 and younger, $35 for seniors aged 60 and above, and $45 for general admission.

VCAT provides training, equipment, and facilities to local residents to produce their own television content. The festival will be held at the USA World Classics Event Center, 1525 Sonoma Boulevard, Vallejo. Stationery printing is sometimes used to create souvenirs and promotional material for the finest film festivals.